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Plan B – and Plan C

When our architects, Greg Huddy and Bill Harris, met with us to review preliminary sketches, they had three designs for us to consider. The first was a two-part house that Paul loved but that was large, expensive to build and, in my view, provided a little too much privacy.

So it was on to Plan B — which we rejected almost as soon as we saw it. Since I had said I liked the cottage style, Greg had played with a story-and-a-half design, in which the top floor is dormered into the roof. But Plan B gave us only two bedrooms upstairs. And, instead of a roof deck, we’d end up with a tiny widow’s walk, which we’d have to climb steep ship’s-ladder stairs to access.

We turned to Plan C. Greg and Bill had started to think that an L-shaped house would be ideal for our needs because it would orient the rooms toward the pool. Although we had a sliver of a water view, which we’d be able to see from the roof deck — and maybe from one or two of the upper rooms if we were extremely lucky — we agreed with Greg and Bill that we wanted the rest of the house to lean toward the privacy of our own little yard.

Plan C did that beautifully — and had the added advantage of having two offices tucked at the very back of the house.

All that was wonderful. But there were many things we didn’t like about Plan C.

It was enormous — probably 4,000 square feet. The upstairs was actually bigger than we wanted it to be, with four bedrooms and a not-very-practical loft area.

And Paul hated the first-floor layout. He was still attached to the idea of a private bedroom “wing,” and this plan seemed to put the master bedroom right in the middle of everything that would be happening downstairs. That is not great when you tend to go to bed early, as we do.

My biggest objection had nothing to do with the floor plan. The sketch of the front of the house made it appear very formal, square and imposing — not the friendly, cottage-like feeling I was hoping for.

Paul and I kept making comments, and I was worried that we sounded too negative — as if we were rejecting everything. But to our surprise, Greg and Bill were happy.

“This is exactly why you follow this process during a charrette,” Greg said. “We’re getting a better idea of what you need. Now we’ll go back to the drawing board and return tomorrow with a plan that reflects all this input.”

We made plans to meet the next day at our favorite breakfast place, the Rod and Reel Pier.

Ok- so I am still reading the blog hoping for enlightenment or at least something interesting. I think it is time for a bit of reality. What is the budget? Paul was nervous about spending $250,000.00 for the lot. Paul, you are such a wimp! Can’t you keep Allison in check? Please get a backbone.
A few reality checks:
1. Anna Maria Island is an island (duh) double all construction and ongoing maintenance costs.
2. Do you know how much Florida property taxes are? Find out!
3. Can you afford hurricane (flood and wind) insurance? Find out!
4. Are you designing a house that will survive a hurricane?
5. Do you ever listen to anyone’s advice?

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About

They've found an idyllic tiny town in Florida, they've bought a piece of land and now Paul B. Brown and Alison Davis are setting out to build their dream house. How hard can it be, they wonder, even though they live 1,500 miles away, they've never built a home before and they don't know anything about architects, builders, local zoning laws or financing? On this blog for Great Homes, they recount their successes and failures and will chronicle their adventures to come.